The Minotaur General's eyes glowed with an intense, malevolent light as he fixed his gaze upon Viviana Scarlet. His massive humanoid-bull form loomed over her, casting a dark shadow that seemed to swallow the very light around it.
"Foolish adventurers!" the Minotaur General's voice rumbled like an earthquake. "You will meet your end here!"
Viviana's grip on her massive sword tightened. "We shall see about that!"
Without another word, she charged forward, her movements a blur of speed and precision. The Minotaur General's staff instantly transformed into a bone axe, which he swung with tremendous force, aiming to crush her in a single blow. Viviana deftly dodged, the bone axe smashing into the ground where she had stood moments before, sending shards of stone flying.
BAAAMMM!!!
Viviana retaliated with a powerful upward slash, her colossal sword striking the Minotaur General's leg. Sparks erupted as the blade met bone. The Minotaur General's bone armor was no ordinary armor; it had been enhanced with potent magic energy that doubled its defensive capabilities, making it tougher than steel.
CLANG!
The impact left Viviana’s hand tingling and temporarily numb, the powerful reverberations of her strike echoing through her arm like thunder. Gritting her teeth against the searing pain, she locked her gaze onto the Minotaur General, his towering figure swaying slightly as he staggered back. Despite the formidable defense of his bone armor, which held firm against the force of her blow, the sheer power behind Viviana's attack still managed to drive him several steps backward.
"You dare challenge me, mortal?!" The Minotaur General's voice reverberated through the grand throne room, filled with scorn. He swung his gigantic bone axe in a wide arc, forcing Viviana to leap back to avoid being cleaved in two.
WHOOSH!
Viviana landed with practiced grace, her breath steady despite the adrenaline coursing through her veins. 'Tch! Looks like this is going to be another tough battle... Unfortunately, I can’t back down now after coming this far,' she thought.
The clash between Viviana Scarlet and the Minotaur General intensified, each exchange of blows echoing through the grand throne room with thunderous force. Viviana, her focus sharpened by determination, pressed her attack relentlessly, maneuvering with agility and skill to exploit every opening in the Minotaur General's defenses.
HORIZONTAL SLASH! VERTICAL SLASH! DIAGONAL SLASH!
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
RUMBLE! THUMP! BAAAM!
Steel clashed against bone as their weapons met again and again. Viviana's strikes were precise and powerful, each blow aimed at weakening the Minotaur General's formidable armor. Despite his size and strength, the Minotaur General found himself hard-pressed against Viviana's relentless assault.
"Is that all you've got, Minotaur General?!" Viviana taunted, her voice ringing out with defiance as she parried a bone axe strike and countered with a swift series of slashes.
ROOOAAARRR!
"Shut your mouth, you wretched!" Enraged, the Minotaur General unleashed a powerful shockwave from his bone axe, sending Viviana staggering backward. The force of the blast cracked the stone floor beneath her feet, but she quickly regained her balance, eyes narrowing in determination.
"You'll have to do better than that!" Viviana retorted, a grim smile spreading across her face.
CHARGE!
With renewed vigor, she charged forward once more, her giant sword gleaming with rage energy. The Minotaur General, his movements becoming more erratic as fatigue set in, struggled to keep up with Viviana's speed and precision.
CRACK! THUD! BOOM!
The battle raged on, each combatant pushing themselves to their limits. Meanwhile, the other demon adventurers fought valiantly against the towering Minotaur Skeleton Warriors, their own skirmish a chaotic dance of spells and steel.
Zealot, amidst the fray, continued to support his comrades with strategic curses, his skeletal minion Bony proving invaluable in disrupting the enemy's formations. Together, they held their ground, the tide of battle slowly turning in their favor as they whittled down the numbers of the Skeleton Minotaur Warriors.
As minutes stretched into what felt like hours, the Minotaur General's attacks grew more desperate. His bone armor, though resilient, bore numerous cracks from Viviana's relentless assaults. Sensing an opening, Viviana seized the opportunity, unleashing a flurry of strikes aimed at exploiting the vulnerabilities in the Minotaur General's defenses.
HORIZONTAL SLASH! VERTICAL SLASH! DIAGONAL SLASH!
CLANG! CRACK! CRUNCH!
With a final, decisive blow, Viviana's sword cleaved through the Minotaur General's bone armor, shattering it into pieces. The Minotaur General staggered back, roaring in pain and fury as he struggled to maintain his footing.
"You... you dare... defy me?!" the Minotaur General bellowed, his voice filled with disbelief and rage.
Viviana stood before him, breath heaving but her eyes unwavering. "Your reign ends here, Minotaur General!" she declared, raising her colossal sword for the finishing strike.
As Viviana prepared for the final strike against the Minotaur General, the air crackled with latent magic, and the ground trembled beneath their feet.
RUMBLE!
"This isn't over yet!" The Minotaur General bellowed, his voice echoing fiercely through the vast throne room, his determination palpable.
With a defiant roar, the Minotaur General raised his bone staff high, and with a surge of willpower, he channeled his remaining strength into his bone staff. In an instant, a massive black portal materialized around the staff. Soon after, a Minotaur Lich and four colossal Bone Golems emerged from within the portal.
Viviana's eyes widened as she sensed the impending danger. "Everyone, brace yourselves!" she shouted, her voice carrying a note of urgency.
The demon adventurers turned to face the new threat, their expressions a mix of determination and dread. The Minotaur Lich, draped in tattered robes and wielding a staff crackling with dark energy, floated ominously above the ground. The Bone Golems, towering constructs of bone and dark magic, stood ready to crush any who opposed them.
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Fortunately, at this juncture, Zealot and the rest of the group had already vanquished the Minotaur Skeleton Warriors, leaving them now free to aid Viviana.
"This complicates things," Zealot muttered, his eyes narrowing as he quickly assessed the situation. "We'll need to split our efforts. Viviana, can you handle the Minotaur General and the Lich?"
Viviana nodded, determination etched into her features. "I’ll manage! Focus on the Bone Golems! Don’t let them overwhelm us!"
"Understood," Zealot replied, his voice steady despite the mounting tension. He turned to the other adventurers, issuing rapid commands. "Warriors, hold the front line! Mages, concentrate your firepower on the Bone Golems! Assassins, target the joints and weak points of the Bone Golems! Archers, cover us from a distance! Healers, keep everyone standing!"
With a unified shout, the demon adventurers sprang into action, their movements coordinated and precise despite the chaos surrounding them. Viviana launched herself at the Minotaur General once more, her sword a blur of motion as she aimed to finish what she had started.
Meanwhile, Zealot unleashed a barrage of curses aimed at the Bone Golems, his skeletal minion, Bony, aiding the adventurers in disrupting their advance. The Bone Golems, though powerful, struggled against the combined might of the demon adventurers.
CURSE OF DIARRHEA! CURSE OF PEE!
The curses slowed the Bone Golems’ movements, giving the warriors, assassins, and mages the upper hand. Arrows and spells rained down upon the constructs, chipping away at their formidable defenses.
"Keep at it! We’re making progress!" one of the adventurers shouted, his voice filled with determination.
Viviana, meanwhile, engaged in a deadly dance with the Minotaur General and the Minotaur Lich. The Minotaur General, though weakened, fought with renewed ferocity, his bone axe clashing against Viviana’s sword with bone-rattling force. The Lich, from a distance, cast spells that filled the air with dark energy, attempting to overwhelm Viviana’s defenses.
HORIZONTAL SLASH! VERTICAL SLASH! DIAGONAL SLASH!
Viviana parried the Minotaur General’s strikes, her movements a blur of grace and power. She dodged a bolt of dark energy from the Minotaur Lich, retaliating with a swift, powerful slash that cut through the Minotaur General’s magical defense.
CLANG! CRACK! CRUNCH!
“It’s over! You’ve lost, Minotaur General!” With a final, decisive blow, Viviana’s colossal sword cleaved through the Minotaur General’s torso, shattering his bone armor and piercing his heart.
“Aaaaaaghhh!!! Noooooooo!!!” The Minotaur General's anguished cry echoed through the grand throne room, a haunting lament that reverberated off the stone walls. With a final, defiant roar that shook the very air, he collapsed to the ground, his massive form now still and lifeless, marking the end of his fierce resistance.
ROAAAARRRR—!
THUD!
The Lich, witnessing the Minotaur General’s fall, had only ten seconds left before it would vanish along with its master. With a final shriek of rage and desperation, it unleashed a torrent of dark magic. However, Viviana was prepared. Charging at the Minotaur Lich, her sword glowing with energy as she delivered a powerful, purging strike that cut through the Lich’s defenses.
"Perish, foul creature!" she shouted, her voice filled with righteous fury.
The Minotaur Lich let out a final, echoing wail before disintegrating into a cloud of dark energy, leaving nothing but dust in its wake. The Bone Golems followed suit, vanishing the moment the Lich met its demise.
[The Minotaur General and his minions have been slain!]
[Leveled Up!]
[Leveled Up!]
[Level: 87 >> 89]
[Skeleton Progression: 95% >> 99%]
With the Minotaur General and his minions defeated, the grand throne room fell silent, the echoes of battle slowly dissipating into the still air. Viviana Scarlet, her breath ragged and her body weary from the intense battle, stood amidst the remnants of her fallen foes. Around her, the other demon adventurers gathered, their faces a mix of exhaustion and relief.
"We did it," Viviana said, her voice soft but filled with pride. "The Minotaur General is no more!”
"Victory is ours!" one of the adventurers cheered, pumping their fist into the air.
"We fought well, everyone," Zealot added, his voice calm but filled with satisfaction.
Viviana nodded, her blue hair now matted with sweat and dirt, but her eyes still shining with determination. "Let's press on. We’re running out of time.”
[Dungeon Completion Rate: 89%]
[Time Limit: 3 hours remaining]
***
In the vast Zealot Kingdom, high in the sky above the billowing white clouds, a black portal materialized abruptly. From its depths emerged Drelak, a mysterious and powerful Demigod. As he emerged from the portal, he began to descend.
‘So, this is the Mortal World, huh?’ thought Drelak, his voice echoing with a mix of curiosity and disdain.
Drelak, a notorious criminal Demigod, was on the brink of being sentenced to life imprisonment for a multitude of heinous crimes—including murder, human trafficking, and numerous other grave offenses. The day had finally come when he was to be locked away for eternity, confined in the darkest depths of the prison meant for beings of his kind.
However, on that fateful day, just as the iron gates of his cell were about to close, Drelak performed a forbidden black magic spell. This dark ritual granted him a forbidden passage, allowing him to escape from the Demigod World and slip into the Mortal World undetected.
However, the price for executing such forbidden black magic was steep. In order to cast the spell, Drelak had to sacrifice a significant portion of his power. This heavy toll was not without consequence; as a result, his once formidable level was dramatically reduced from SS-Class to E-Class, leaving him considerably weaker than before.
Nevertheless, despite being nerfed to E-Class, Drelak still wielded an extraordinary level of power, largely attributed to his possession of SS-Class gear. While his official level might have been E-Class, the true extent of his battle prowess was far greater. The exceptional quality of his gear elevated his combat abilities to a level comparable to that of a B-Class or A-Class adventurer, making him a formidable adversary despite his lower-ranked classification.
THUMP!!!
Drelak landed in the middle of a lush, remote ancient forest, the force of his impact creating a small crater beneath his feet. The surrounding trees shuddered from the shockwave, leaves fluttering to the ground like confetti. As he wiped the dirt off his pants, he took a moment to assess his surroundings, his keen eyes surveying the unfamiliar terrain. Towering trees and dense undergrowth stretched out in all directions, giving no hint of civilization.
The air was filled with the fragrance of blooming flowers and fresh pine, and the distant calls of unseen monsters added to the forest's mystique. Drelak wondered which continent or kingdom he had landed in, hoping to find some clue or landmark that might reveal his current location.
In truth, Drelak’s true identity was not that of a Demigod. He was, in fact, a formidable boss monster known as the “Lich King” from the Demigod World. Despite his fearsome reputation, he possessed an extraordinary ability to transform into any form he desired. In this particular case, he had chosen to assume the guise of a Demon Demigod.
Unfortunately, when his level dropped to E-Class, he was no longer capable of maintaining the powerful form of the Demon Demigod. This significant reduction in his power forced him to relinquish his assumed guise and revert back to his original form as the Lich King.
‘Hmm... Where the hell am I...?’ Drelak mused, his eyes scanning the unfamiliar surroundings. He couldn’t quite determine his exact location, but figured it wasn’t important right now. For now, he decided to prioritize finding a secure place to hide and replenish his mana first; once he was in a safe position and had recovered his strength, he could then consider his next steps.
Not long after, Drelak arrived at the colossal entrance of Zealot City. To his surprise, the expansive city appeared completely deserted. In the center of the city stood a massive, enormous castle—Zealot Castle.
‘Well, this seems like a good place to hide for the time being,’ Drelak thought, stepping into the vast empty city and heading toward the grand majestic castle.
Meanwhile, within the grand Zealot Castle, Sasha was still awaiting Zealot's return. Although he had been gone for what felt like an eternity, only a brief time had passed in the outside world. Time, after all, flowed very differently between the outside world and the dungeons.
“That son of a bitch! Just when is he coming back?!” Sasha exclaimed, frustration evident in her voice as she slammed her fist on the kitchen table.
SLAM!